Tough new flooring finishes salt store in a couple of shakes

27th July 2011: A new flooring concrete
from CEMEX UK, building materials supplier, has enabled one customer to
reduce preparation time by a week, while achieving a highly durable slab
with structural reinforcement, all without the use of steel mesh.

CEMEX Advanced Flooring combines micro and macro-synthetic fibres to
increase resistance to cracking and improve impact and abrasion
qualities. Fibre reinforcement is distributed evenly throughout the mix,
increasing load bearing capacity and enabling slab depth to be reduced
in some applications.

CEMEX Advanced Flooring solution was recommended for a salt store in
the Midlands, where a durable surface was required, capable of
withstanding heavy plant, equipped with buckets to load the salt. This
was one of the first contracts using Advanced Flooring and laid by Alun
Griffiths (Contractors), Abergavenny working for client, Amey.

The original design for the floor was based on two layers of mesh
with a long bay construction but the new flooring mix offered the
benefits of faster construction and alleviated concerns about potential
long term corrosion of the steel mesh.

In practice, the entire slab requiring 240m3 of concrete was laid in just a day.

Julian Davies of contractors Alun Griffiths said "By using CEMEX
Advanced Flooring we did not have to store or handle steel mesh which
saved a lot of time and effort. This new mix handled well and the whole
pour went smoothly. We are pleased with the result and we anticipate
that the finished floor will have a trouble-free and long lifespan."

Steve Crompton, Technical Director CEMEX UK said "CEMEX Advanced
Flooring with its leading edge fibre technology combined with high
quality concrete offers many benefits for a wide range of flooring and
paving applications. Also, savings in project costs make it an economic
alternative to traditional steel mesh solutions."

CEMEX Advanced Flooring combines the benefits of micro
polypropylene fibres which reduce thermal cracking with the structural
strength supplied by deformed macro fibres. The fibres are added to each
mix at the plant.

CEMEX is a global building solutions company and leading supplier
of cement, ready-mixed concrete and aggregates. In the UK, CEMEX also
produces asphalt, and has a significant share of the roof tile,
concrete-block paving, and concrete block sectors. Additionally, the
company is the leading supplier of concrete sleepers to the rail
industry and a supplier of PFA cement additives. CEMEX has a national
supply network in the UK with over 450 locations, to ensure that quality
building materials are available to customers locally. For more
information, see www.CEMEX.co.uk, www.CEMEX.com

Amey is a leading UK public services provider with more than 11,000
staff. The company works across three main markets - Inter Urban, Local
Government and Built Environment, which are supported by our
award-winning in house consultancy.

Alun Griffiths Limited is a leading regional civil engineering
company directly employing 400 staff and operatives. Based in
Abergavenny in Wales, the company operates throughout Wales and the
Midlands. For more information see www.alungriffiths.co.uk